


that's what lovers do

by qkdxksthsuseks



Series: love closed [4]
Category: Magic Kaito
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Soulmates, by everybody i mean heiji and shinichi and ran and kazuha, let's just say everybody are friends, the two are detectives and kaito is a police officer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-09-25 08:50:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20374024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qkdxksthsuseks/pseuds/qkdxksthsuseks
Summary: she said she liked him.but he said he needed time.





	that's what lovers do

"I like you, Kaito." 

He felt his whole body turning a little cold, a little still. Kaito managed to swallow the coffee in his mouth before putting down the plastic cup, his eyes widened. He stared at the girl in front of him, her face only a little flushed, her hands cupping her cheeks, and her eyes fixed on the scenery outside the glass pane. Kaito followed her gaze to absolutely nothing - she was staring at nothing. 

He would've shaken it off as a joke. He should've. But something about the way her voice trembled a little, the way her cheeks were slightly pink, the way her hands fidgeted nervously, told him that it was real. This wasn't a joke. And more importantly, he lost the timing to do anything. Now he was just a dumbfounded man staring at her like an idiot. 

"Aoko, what did you just say - " 

"I like you." 

This time she turned to face him. Her unblinking eyes met his hesitant ones. She tilted her head to the side, tucking a wisp of her hair behind her ears. "Is it that hard to believe?" she pouted. Then she resumed looking out the window, softly adding, "Are you going to say something?" 

Kaito pursed his lips, wondering what he should say. This was his _bestfriend _he was thinking about. Yes, she was incredibly beautiful and yes, she was extremely attractive, beyond words could express anyways. But for some reason, he had never expected her to be saying words like that - to him, anyways. It felt weird, uncomfortable, alien. He was unprepared, yes that was what it was. 

"Uh, I-I did not know you liked me that way," was the sentence he finally choked out. Kaito was usually a very witty person and currently, he dearly wished he knew the words that could turn this relationship back to what it used to be, back into his comfort zone. "Can you give me some time?" 

Aoko narrowed her eyes on him. This time, it was him looking away. 

"Alright," she answered. "But don't keep me waiting." And with that, she stood up, flashed a smile of triumph and friendliness before she exited the cafe, never looking back. Kaito thought he could almost see her ears bright red. 

As soon as she left, Kaito released a long sigh, letting his face fall into the palm of his hands. 

・‥…━━━☆

"She said she liked you?" Heiji raised an eye brow. "Damn, I like Nakamori-san." 

"What am I supposed to say?" Kaito wailed, slamming his head on the table. "Tell me the most polite way you can tell your bestfriend when you're turning them down." He had been thinking and thinking, for a very long time. He didn't know what the _right _way could possibly be in their relationship. But the only thing he knew was that he wasn't prepared, ready, for anything involving love. He was going to ruin it headfirst. 

"You're going to turn her down?" Shinichi exclaimed, startled and surprised. "I thought... I thought you loved her." 

"No, not like that," Kaito shook his head slowly. "I mean, yeah, I _love _her, but not in the I-want-you-to-be-my-girlfriend kind of love. She will always be such a big piece in my heart and life, I will probably always care about her until the day I die. But love? No, I don't think so." He then turned his gaze to the two detectives, a suspicious eyebrow raised. "Wait, are you telling me you always loved them from the beginning?" 

"I mean, not from the beginning," Heiji scratched his head. "It's like seasons, you don't know when a season starts or when it ends, right? I don't know when I started liking her, I only know that it has been a very, very long time." 

"Kind of the same," Shinichi shrugged. "I guess if I had to put a label it would be love at first sight." His eyes flickered towards Kaito. "I thought you were the same like us. I thought you knew you loved her. I thought you love _loved _her." 

Kaito waved a dismissive hand. "Of course not," he shook his head. "I don't even know what love is." He threw up his hands. "I'm going to be losing a bestfriend if I do something wrong. If we date and break up, it's the end, right? I don't want that." He sighed. "You guys ever thought about that?" 

"Hell yeah I always do," Heiji sighed. "Unlike Kudo over here, I do a lot of thinking." 

"I don't know," Shinichi responded nonchalantly. "I always had this weird feeling, this subconscious thought that told me nothing can ever go wrong with Ran." He gave a small shrug and a little half-smile, that kind he had when he was thinking about her. 

"Just don't hurt her," Heiji advised, placing a hand on Kaito's shoulder. "And try not to be so blunt."

Kaito sighed, sinking deeper into his dilemma, unable to see if he'll ever get out of it. The sole thought of doing something that can potentially hurt her made him so scared. This was different from those empty insults and playful jokes. The more he thought about it, the more he wished that it never happened. If he could turn back time, he would surely turn it to that day and text her that he was busy. And he'll think about the upcoming confession and try to do something before it happened. 

But maybe it was inevitable. 

・‥…━━━☆

Kaito was sitting in his office, thinking and thinking. There was this perpetually anxious _emotion _in his heart that he didn't know what it was. It resembled fear, a little bit of anticipation, a hint of adrenaline. He turned his gaze to the side, catching the eyes of Heiji. Heiji was dramatically spewing insults into the phone and Kaito knew he was talking to Tooyama Kazuha. He closed his eyes, wondering when he could start doing that with Aoko. 

It had been almost a week. And in that week, she had been acting completely neutral with him. She didn't bring up the confession ever again and didn't ask for an answer. She simply asked him when he was free to hangout, like she always did, and reprimanded him for working so late, per usual. It was disgustingly familiar that he didn't know what to do. He just became this weird, uncomfortable person around her and he hated it. 

"Are you kidding me? I told you a million times, you don't have to come all the way here!" Heiji shrieked. "Just go home, dumbass." 

There was a pause and Heiji sighed and hung up. Kaito raised an eye brow. 

"She made lunch for me," Heiji explained. Then he narrowed his eyes down on his co-worker. "And not just her, she brought in everyone else." He flopped down on his chair and added, "It's going to get loud soon." When Kaito was just about to ask what he meant by _everyone else _and what he meant by his prophetic statement, the police station's glass pane doors were swiveled opened and loud footsteps entered. 

_"Heiji!" _ Kazuha pouted, crossing her arms. 

Kaito laughed, watching the girl stomp up to Heiji strangling him. And then he froze when he realized two more people following up to Kazuha. One was Mouri Ran, who without a second thought knocked on Shinichi's office. And the second was - 

"Aoko?" Kaito sputtered. "What are you doing here?" 

Aoko raised an eye brow. "I got you lunch, that's what I'm doing," she gave a small bright smile. "Your mom is super concerned that you're not eating well, Kaito. And besides, don't you think I'm being a really nice friend right now?" She looked at him expectantly, waiting. Yes, it was definitely his turn to say something cocky and stupid. It was his timing to say something reckless and then she would punch him. That was his cue. 

But Kaito stood there, unknowing what to do. He could feel his throat becoming dry, his whole body becoming a little suffocated. It was the first time actually seeing her after her, uh, _announcement _and damn it, he totally forgot how to act around her. Kaito clenched his fist a little, fully aware that Aoko's expression was morphing into one of confusion. Yes, if he didn't do anything soon, things were going to get more awkward. 

"Uh, thanks," was what he said. "I'm going to go to the bathroom." 

And Kaito ran away. He almost tripped over a chair and was definitely rushing. Anyone could see that. And when he disappeared into the bathroom, he could swear he was blushing a little bit. He placed a hand on his chest, realizing that it was throbbing so hard. He could almost swear that he might die from this, there was gotta be some sort of medical condition you could die from a heart racing too fast. 

Aoko stared after her bestfriend, her hands gripping the shopping bag a little tighter. She placed it on his desk. When she turned her head a little, Heiji and Kazuha were both staring at her, a little pause in their constant bickering. Aoko shrugged and quietly said, "I think I got rejected." 

"What no," Kazuha gasped. "Who can reject someone like Aoko-chan?" 

Aoko dismissively waved a hand. The look on his face when they met eye contact, the way he couldn't say or do anything around her, it was clear. Aoko felt a wave of guilt and shame washing over. She was sorry she had pushed him into where he was never meant to be. She was sorry she had pressured him into such an uncomfortable position. And she hoped that maybe treating him the same as always would make him a little relaxed. It didn't. 

It wasn't that she wasn't expecting this to happen. Kaito was so familiar but he was such a mystery to her at the same time. She had no idea what he was thinking sometimes. And from time to time, Aoko was forced to imagine the worst case scenario, the scenario where he didn't feel the same about her. She wasn't prepared, but she didn't cross out the possibility of it. And from what it looked like now, her worst fears were confirmed. 

Aoko sighed and trudged out the police station, leaving behind a single text for Kaito. She was so, so sorry that she had turned their relationship into one that made Kaito run away from her. She stopped outside and stared at the blue sky, tears brimming in her eyes as her heart stung a little. It still hurt, no matter how many times she ran the simulation in her head. It was inevitable. 

_'i left your lunch on the table. enjoy it :)' _

・‥…━━━☆

Kaito stared at his phone. He thought his mind and heart were both going to implode because... because of Aoko. He was guilty, ashamed of the way he had to act. He was going to meet up with her, apologize, and sincerely ask if they could be bestfriends again. He was going to treat her the same. He would have done that, if... if she wasn't ignoring him. Ignoring was the right word. She wasn't avoiding him, she was just straight up ignoring him. 

He had texted, 'when do you wanna watch the movie?' and her response was 'oh I'm busy this whole week.' And when he asked again, 'what time are you free?', she had just left him on read. It made him a little startled, he was definitely caught off-guard, because Aoko had never ever left him read. But he didn't say anything. And when he called her the next day, her response was 'I'm busy.' 

Kaito wondered if it was a taste of his own medicine. And that just made him decide that he needed to apologize to her. But everytime he reached out, she shrank away, away from him. She came up with excuses from just being busy to already having a prior meeting. And in the end, she ended up ignoring his every contact. He thought he was going to forget what she looked like if he didn't see her another day. 

"I hate myself," he groaned as he took a sip of beer. 

"I hate you too," Heiji chuckled beside him with a grin. "Come on, why the long face?" 

"I miss Aoko," Kaito sighed. "I miss my bestfriend. I think I lost her." 

Beside Heiji, Kazuha tilted her head. "I thought you liked her too, you didn't say anything?" she asked confused. When Kaito looked up and slowly shook his head, she gasped a little. "You don't like her? But you guys have been together for so long, how have you not been in love with her at least once? Twenty years is a long time, you know." 

"I guess," Kaito shrugged. "But I didn't really want anything changing between us, you know? I like it the way it is. Being able to say our deepest darkest secrets, being able to enjoy a movie together whenever and wherever we wanted, eating our favorite food together, talking about our day, all those kinds of things. I don't want any more from that." He bit his lower lip. 

Kazuha raised an eye brow and narrowed her eyes down at him. "Kuroba-kun, that's called _dating._" 

"No, it's not," Heiji interrupted with a smirk. "That's just what two friends do." 

Kazuha squeezed Heiji's hand a little stronger than usual and Heiji winced noticeably. "Heiji, what are we then, two friends?" she growled. "Wake up, Heiji, we're _dating, _that's what girlfriends and boyfriends do. You probably don't know that because you've known me for a _long _time but when two people meet and decide to date, they do those things. If you're not dating and do those things, it's obvious that you like the person." 

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Heiji groaned. "Let me go." 

Meanwhile, Kaito opened another can of beer and started gulping it down. Friends, lovers, who decided what they do and don't anyways. Whatever he did with Aoko was always something two friends did. There wasn't a question, he never questioned it. And Aoko questioned it and he didn't have an answer. Kaito opened a third can. And then a fourth can, a fifth, a sixth. He didn't listen to what Heiji and Kazuha were saying anymore. And by the time he was getting a little dizzy. 

"Hattori, Hattori," Kaito groaned, his voice slurred. 

"Damn, he's already drunk," Heiji noted. "I thought he had high alcohol tolerance." 

"Call Aoko," Kaito ordered. "Tell her to come here, please? Hattori, please?" 

"Just tell her yourself," Heiji flinched away from Kaito's outstretched hands. 

"She won't come if I ask her to," Kaito breathed. "Kazuha-chan, please ask her to come." His eye lids were becoming heavier and heavier by each second. But he couldn't stop murmuring the same sentence again and again. And he fell into a little nap. Heiji sighed and Kazuha took out her phone, dialing someone before waiting a few seconds. And then she opened her mouth. 

"Aoko-chan, where are you?" 

・‥…━━━☆

"What is this situation?" Aoko sighed. Kazuha and Heiji greeted her with an enthusiastic wave. She narrowed her eyes down on Kaito, who had his head slammed on the table, cans of empty beer making a circle around him like some kind of witchcraft ceremony. She took off her coat and sat down across him, tutting her tongue. "What the hell happened here?" 

"Wait," Heiji raised a hand. Then he started shaking Kaito's shoulders. 

Kaito looked up and a lazy smile surfaced. Aoko thought her heart might explode. She barely managed to keep her face straight. "Aoko," he breathed. She took a sharp intake of air, feeling her whole body warm up at his voice. She managed to put on an indifferent cold look. 

"Hello, Kaito," she mumbled half-heartedly as she poured herself a drink. "Can I order more?" 

"Sure," Kazuha nodded her head. 

Kaito continued to stare at Aoko, cupping his chin with one hand. He followed her every move, his eyes following hers. When their eyes met he gave a small smirk, his eyes becoming half-moons. Aoko paused, wishing she could take a picture of this Kaito before her. But she managed to raise a nonchalant eye brow before looking away, pouring more for her. 

"Kuroba, Nakamori-san is here," Heiji said, tapping Kaito's shoulders. "Didn't you say you have something to tell her?" 

For a moment her heart started pumping again. A little spark of flutter, of hope, nestled into her heart and Aoko looked at Kaito, wondering if he was going to say something. But what Kaito did instead was give a stupid grin and say nothing. He didn't even look like he heard Heiji. Aoko sighed and shrugged. What was she expecting from Kuroba Kaito anyways? He was an idiot. 

"Aoko," Kaito abruptly shrilled. Aoko looked at him, startled. His eyes brows knitted together as he spat, "Why are you avoiding me?" 

Aoko frowned, putting a confused look. "I'm not avoiding you," she said. She knew exactly what he was talking about though. And she was doing it on purpose. She knew it made him feel guilty and she was sorry about it too. So she was making things easier for him. 

"You're not?" Kaito frowned and made a face. "Yes you are." Then he proceeded to turn his gaze somewhere else.

Aoko shook her head, a short laugh escaping her lips. "Oh, Kaito," she muttered. "You're so dumb." Kazuha handed her a bottle of water and Aoko gave a short smile in return. Heiji started talking about his latest case and Aoko nodded to his story, giving appropriate responses as he talked. But her attention was solely focused on Kaito. He stole glimpses of her before letting his head fall into the palm of his hands, mumbling distant words. 

"How is your new job?" Kazuha asked. 

"It's alright. It's definitely not what I imagined myself doing when I grow up, but it's surprisingly good for me," Aoko replied. She had opened a little flower shop. She wasn't that greatly involved with flowers as a young child but it was interesting. Kaito sometimes came by, getting his monthly stock of blue roses for his magic tricks. Blue roses. They meant passion, they meant love. They also meant something unattainable.

She took another shot. 

"Aoko!" Kaito suddenly yelled as he snatched away her glass from her hands. "You're drinking too much, you're already red." 

Aoko was startled and she didn't hide it. Then blinked and aggressively snatched back her glass and with widened eyes, said, "What the hell are you doing?" She sounded a little too offended and she knew she was overdoing it. "Kaito, what the hell?" 

Kaito seemed more surprised than anyone on the table. "Aoko..." His voice trailed off softly. His face hardened a little and his eyes changed. He seemed a little hurt. "Aoko, what are you doing?" he said in return. 

She suddenly became self-conscious. "You're right, I'm sorry," she sighed. "I've just been a little sensitive. I'll apologize." She gave a curt nod, a polite and genuine act of apology. And she put her glass down. Aoko looked at Kaito, who looked more frozen and confused than ever. She paused and added, "I understand your consideration and I will take it. I agree, I should stop drinking for a while." 

Kaito opened his mouth and then immediately closed it. Then he opened it again. "Why are you talking like that?" his voice was raspy.

"Like what?" Aoko knitted her eye brows, genuinely confused. "Kaito?" 

"You're... You're talking like we're..." Kaito started, his pointed finger hesitant. "You're so... distant." 

Aoko shook her head slowly with a smile. The way he looked at her, his eyes slightly empty and wanting to be fulfilled, it was dangerous. She shrugged and turned her attention away from him. Not that it worked anyways. She saw the weird look flitting across his voice, the sad, dissatisfied look. He was somehow always the center of her attention, his every little move. And she could tell, he was uncomfortable. 

Because of her. She wondered if she should leave. 

"Heiji, can I sleep at your house tonight?" Kazuha asked. 

Aoko watched as Heiji's face turned a little pink. He shook his head aggressively. "No," he snapped. "Just go sleep your own house, dumbass." 

Aoko watched as the two started another argument. She glanced at Kaito, who was staring out the glass window, deep in thought. She remembered the numerous days she asked Kaito if he could sleep at his house. She stared at her hands, fidgeting a little. She probably couldn't do that anymore either. 

"I can sleep on the couch," Kazuha amended, her eyes sparkling. 

Aoko could tell that there was this constant look of perplexity on Heiji's face. And Aoko thought it was cute. It made sense. The innocence of Kazuha probably always put him in trouble like that. Aoko recalled the numerous times she had asked Kaito if she could sleep at his house. He didn't hesitate to say yes. He always said yes. And that made her a little bit sadder. 

Heiji ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "You're not going to sleep on the couch," he said, sighing. 

"Is that a yes?" Kazuha said, excited. 

Heiji gave her this look of disapproval before releasing a long sigh. Kazuha giggled in glee. That was his way of saying yes and that was her way of saying she was happy. Aoko stole a glimpse from Kaito again, wondering if she had to stop doing these things around him now. Things were now so complicated and she didn't know where she should stop and where shouldn't. There were so many things she had to withdraw from him. 

"Aoko, can I set you up a blind date with one of my friends?" Kazuha asked. "There's this guy that says you're cute." 

Aoko automatically looked at Kaito but he was focused on his phone. She looked away and turned to Kazuha and gave a small smile. "I don't know... I've never done blind dates," she said hesitantly. "I don't know how I feel about that." She wasn't interested in blind dates in general, she always had someone she liked. She stole another glimpse of Kaito, who was smiling at his phone. She wondered who he was texting. 

"He's really nice," Kazuha added. 

Kaito then abruptly looked up and said, "You said you like me." 

The air froze, clinging to nothing. Aoko felt her breath becoming short as she stared at him, bewildered. He looked indifferent, his cold blue eyes boring into hers. After two moments of absolutely terrifying silence, Aoko opened her mouth and finally managed to reply, "Yes, I _did _say that. But so what?" 

Kaito's expression hardened a little. "So what?" 

Aoko continued to stare at him, confused. She didn't think it would make him uncomfortable anymore. She had tried not to bring it up in front of him and she had avoided going that topic. She didn't want to make it awkward for him, for her, for them. She thought she was doing all she can. And yet the look on her bestfriend's face told her that he was still disturbed, he was still unsatisfied with what was happening. 

"You ignored me," Kaito breathed. "I was going to say sorry." 

Aoko immediately said, "No, no, no, don't say sorry." That wasn't what she wanted from him anyway. The words she wanted to hear, he would probably never say it. She shook her head and whilst waving her hand, added, "I'm sorry, Kaito. I am. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. We can just stay as friends." Somehow, the words she said seemed to upset him more and more, by the way his eyes were shaking. 

"You want to just stay as friends?" Kaito asked. 

"It's getting late, I'm going home," Kazuha interrupted with a bright smile. "Come on, Heiji, let's go." She made eye contact with her boyfriend, grabbing him by the arm, half-dragging him out. Then she glanced at Aoko. "Aoko-chan, do you want us to drop you off?" 

And just as Aoko was about to stand up, Kaito grabbed her hand. She looked back, feeling an odd ripple of warmth spreading through her body. His grip was a little strong but it didn't hurt. He squeezed her hand and said, "We need to talk." His voice was low and bass, the serious kind that made her heart flutter once again. She looked at Kaito, hoping her face wasn't flushed. She looked back at Kazuha and nodded her head to indicate that she was fine. 

"Bye, Kuroba," Heiji waved as they walked away. 

Aoko felt this weird kind of nervousness coming to her throat. She didn't know what to say now that it was only the two of them. His hand was still holding hers but she didn't say anything as she sat down. Kaito's fixed eyes on her made her anxious. What was he going to say? Was he going to tell her that she was being a horrible friend? Was he going to say that she made him uncomfortable? 

"You want to just stay as friends?" Kaito said. "You and I, just friends?" 

Aoko didn't see what the problem was. And a strand of fear started springing in her heart. Was he saying that he didn't want to be friends at all? She bit her lip, hoping her eyes weren't becoming red and brimming with tears. Instead, she managed to say, "Fine. If you _really _want, we don't need to be friends at all." 

"What?" Kaito said, baffled. 

Aoko frowned. "I said, we can pretend like we're not friends at all." 

It hurt her as she said it. She couldn't imagine a life without Kaito and suddenly she regretted. She regretted making her feelings known. She thought it would make her feel a little more free, a little more confident in herself. The nights she spent worrying about what she had to do, what she should say, they all seemed useless. She shouldn't have said it, she realized. It only made her distant from Kaito, which was the exact opposite of what she had wanted.

"Aoko, what are you saying?" Kaito demanded. "Do you want us to stop being friends?" 

Aoko paused and thought, wondering how she should answer that question. Kaito watched and he started panicking. Was she genuinely considering not being friends with him anymore? He couldn't imagine a life without Aoko, without doing all those things with Aoko. It made his heart ache a lot. It felt like his heart was being shattered, just by the fact that she was _thinking _before answering his question. He thought he was going to cry. He couldn't let her go like this. 

After all, he loved her. 

"Yes," Aoko nodded. Kaito thought his world fell apart right then. "I take back my confession. I'm sorry." 

Kaito completely froze. Everything she said sounded like she was breaking up with him. But that didn't make sense, they were never together. He only then released her hand and only realized that he was holding it until his hand fell to the side. His eyes were slightly widened and he stared at her as she stared back at him a little embarrassed. She looked like she wanted to stand up and run away, run away from him. 

"Kaito, are you crying?" 

No, no, he wasn't. Kaito raised his hand and touched his eyes to find them surprising wet and cold. He was crying. After taking a sharp intake of air, he abruptly stood up, and without a second glance, walked out of the bar. There was this blank look on his face as he walked out and Aoko wondered if she should go after him. He looked so hurt and that wasn't what she wanted. 

"Kaito, Kaito!" 

He was already a good few feet ahead him, enough for her to start jogging a little. Aoko yanked the sleeve of his long coat and gasped a little. Kaito stared at the girl panting before him, feeling his cheeks turn a little pink and red. Maybe it was the cold, it partially was. 

"I'm sorry," Aoko started. "I just, I really love you. Like not even in that way, I do. And I'm sorry I hurt you." 

Everything she seemed to saying and doing seemed to be hurting him so much and she hated it. Kaito grabbed her hand, squeezing it a little. He placed his other hand on her cheeks as he leaned in a little. Aoko continued, "I'm willing to do everything in order to still have you in my life, Kaito, that's how much you mean to - " 

She was cut off by his lips. Her eyes widened in shock. There was a soft second and then their lip locking session stopped. Kaito looked down at her, his eyes easy and tender. He placed his head on her shoulders, nuzzling closer. Aoko held her breath, scared that he might hear her heart beating furiously. 

"I don't want to lose you," Kaito murmured. "All I want is to be with you. Like every single day. Just like the old days." 

Aoko knew her face was bright pink.

"But we can't do that, right?" Kaito whispered. "That's not what normal friends do, right?" 

Her breath hitched. 

"That's what lovers do, am I right?" 

Aoko pulled back and placed both of her hands on his shoulders. He looked at her like he longed for her and it was irresistible but she had to make this one thing clear. "What are you saying, Kaito?" she said, her eye brows knitting together. "Kaito, don't give me hope - " 

"I love you," Kaito interrupted her. "I think." 

The single three words made her knees a little weak. Aoko pursed her lips, her eyes trembling. "What do you mean, I think - " 

"I love Aoko Nakamori." 

When Aoko still didn't say anything, Kaito wondered if it was the alcohol kicking in a little late, her face looked more flushed than necessary and her eye lids were a little closed. Then he quickly added, "Well, I just wanna watch movies with you, eat at nice restaurant, do nice things with you, you know?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I was already in love with you. I just didn't know... because you've been with me since the beginning." 

Aoko thought her head was going to explode. She was already slightly drunk, not enough to be really dizzy. But then the kiss made her dizzy again. She was listening to what Kaito was saying, but the words he said didn't properly register into her brain. The only thing she understood was that he seemed to be saying that he loved her. Aoko could feel her heart _trembling _as she thought about it. 

"Wait, wait, wait," Aoko said, slurring her words a little. "A-Are you saying you've changed your answer?"

Kaito looked at her, a small smile surfacing. "It was always the same, dummy," Kaito breathed as he cupped her face. Then he released a short laugh. "But I didn't know so I guess we're both dummies." He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know why you like me, Aoko, I'm so stupid." 

Aoko made a face telling him that she didn't like the way he was talking. And he thought she was cute. He let her face go. "But I'll figure this out, alright?" he reassured her. "I will get my feelings sorted and labeled asap. And... you'll be by my side right? You won't go anywhere?" He still wasn't sure. The way she acted at the bar, all nonchalant and indifferent about potentially cutting him off as a friend still terrified him. 

"I can't go anywhere," Aoko laughed. "It's you, Kaito. I can never just leave you." 

A wave of relief washed over him but it wasn't enough. "Promise to me you would never ever bring anything even close not being friends ever again," his eyes hardened and his tone of voice got stern. Aoko nodded furiously. Then Kaito added, "W-Why would you even say that in the first place?" 

"You looked so uncomfortable," Aoko explained, smiling. "I just wanted to do the thing that would make you less uncomfortable. I didn't want you to be sad because of me." Tears brimmed in her eyes as she thought about it. She looked down as she wiped her cheeks furiously. "I had everything mentally prepared, from you hating me, from you just blocking me out of your life - if that was what makes you happier then - " 

"Idiot," Kaito interrupted her, his thumb brushing past her cheeks, shedding her tears. "How could I ever be happy without you?" Her tears didn't stop, Kaito wiped her face again and again. "You're an idiot, idiot, idiot." There was a smile on his face, a smile surfaced on Aoko's face too, despite being insulted. 

They were confusing, they were definitely friends, they definitely loved each other. 

They were Kaito and Aoko. 


End file.
